Debating Taught Us to Defend Our Position, While the Internship Taught Us to Work on Real Cases

The Second Vasyl Ovsiienko Human Rights Debate Tournament gave law clinic students an opportunity to engage with current human rights issues, develop their argumentation skills, and experience the value of teamwork. Over the course of three days, 16 teams from across Ukraine debated human rights in the context of European integration, addressed complex legal issues, and learned from leading human rights experts.

For the team representing the Veritas Legal Clinic at Lutsk National Technical University, which won the Tournament, the experience did not end with the announcement of the results. The main prize for the team members, Diana Shelest and Ivanna Prymak, was an internship at the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, which gave them an opportunity to see human rights work from the inside.

In their blog, the participants share their impressions of the Tournament and the internship. They discuss the challenges of debating, the power of teamwork, their new professional discoveries, and how this experience shaped their understanding of their future legal careers.

While working at the legal clinic, we have always sought not only to apply the knowledge gained during our studies but also to find new opportunities for professional development. Therefore, when we learned about the human rights debate tournament, we decided to take part. It was our first experience of a competition in this format, so we were nervous. At the same time, we understood that it was a valuable opportunity to test our knowledge in practice, learn to defend a legal position through well-reasoned arguments, and gain new experience.

Preparing for the Tournament required time, careful attention, and coordinated teamwork. We analysed human rights issues, developed arguments, discussed the possible positions of the parties, and planned our debating strategies. During the debates, we realised how important it is to listen carefully, respond quickly to the arguments presented by opponents, and work as a single team.

Teamwork was one of the main factors behind our success. We quickly reached common decisions, complemented each other during both the preparation and the debates, and could always rely on each other’s support. This enabled us to progress confidently through every stage of the Tournament and achieve a result that became a welcome reward for our joint efforts. The experience once again demonstrated how important it is in the legal profession to work effectively as a team, trust one another, and take shared responsibility for a common task.

We would also like to highlight the atmosphere of the Tournament. It was interesting to meet participants from different higher education institutions, observe different approaches to resolving legal issues, and receive constructive feedback from the judges and experts. After each round, we were given recommendations that helped us better understand our strengths and identify the areas in which we still needed to improve. We were also pleased by the friendly atmosphere that prevailed even among competing teams. The Tournament became an excellent opportunity for professional communication and new connections.

Winning the debate tournament was not only a rewarding achievement but also opened the door to an internship at the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union. We saw it as an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how a human rights organisation operates, explore the practical side of the profession, and acquire experience that cannot be gained through university studies alone.

During the internship, we learned about the work of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, contributed to practical assignments, worked with legal materials, and analysed real cases. Communication with lawyers and human rights defenders was particularly valuable. They shared their professional experience, explained the specific features of working with different categories of cases, and answered our questions. This helped us better understand the nature of human rights work and see how theoretical knowledge is applied in real-life practice.

The training sessions and practical workshops organised for the internship participants were equally important. They enabled us to develop our skills in legal analysis, critical thinking, working with legislation, and team cooperation. It was particularly useful to observe how experienced legal professionals approach complex legal issues and work with real requests for legal assistance.

The internship helped us not only to improve our professional skills but also to view our future profession from a new perspective. Working on real cases demonstrated the importance of responsibility, attention to detail, teamwork, and the continuous improvement of professional knowledge. We became even more interested in the field of human rights protection and realised that practical experience plays a crucial role in shaping a lawyer’s professional outlook.

Looking back on this period, we can confidently say that participating in the debate tournament and subsequently completing the internship were important stages in our professional development. They gave us not only new knowledge and practical experience but also greater confidence in our abilities, motivation for further development, and an understanding of how important it is to make use of every opportunity for professional growth while still at university. This experience confirmed our desire to continue developing in the field of human rights protection and to make it the focus of our future professional careers.

Photo: Legal clinic “Veritas” LNTU

Diana Shelest
Ivanna Prymak
Students of “Veritas” Legal Clinic
of Lutsk National Technical University